RPT-UPDATE 3-From Cameron with love: Murdoch protegee haunts PM

May 11, 2012|Reuters

By Kate Holton and Estelle Shirbon

LONDON, May 11 (Reuters) - David Cameron signed off messagesto tabloid editor Rebekah Brooks with an affectionate "LOL", shetold an inquiry on Friday, conjuring the embarrassing image of aBritish prime minister-in-waiting fawning over a Rupert Murdochprotegee.

As editor of Britain's most-read newspapers the News of theWorld and later the Sun, Brooks had the power to make or breakcareers and was courted for years by top politicians until sheabruptly fell from grace in July 2011.

Appearing at a judicial inquiry into press standards,Brooks was pressed for details of her close friendships withsuccessive British prime ministers, including Labour's TonyBlair and Conservative David Cameron, now in office.

"Occasionally he would sign them off LOL, lots of love,"Brooks said in answer to a question on text messages shefrequently exchanged with Cameron during the 2010 electioncampaign, when he was still in opposition.

"Actually, until I told him it meant 'Laugh Out Loud', andthen he didn't sign them like that anymore," she added, blushingto the roots of her signature bright red curls.

Murdoch shut down the News of the World last July when itemerged its journalists had hacked into the voicemails of publicfigures and a murdered schoolgirl. In the wake of therevelations, Brooks resigned as CEO of Murdoch's Britishnewspaper group and is now under police investigation.

Her testimony at the Leveson Inquiry revealed she had metfrequently with Cameron, lobbied key offices of government forthe approval of a major Murdoch takeover bid and intervened inthe long-running row between former Labour Prime Ministers TonyBlair and Gordon Brown.

"We were a newspaper that was looking after the real,serious concerns of our readers," she said, glancing between herrace-horse trainer husband Charlie, the judge and the leadlawyer. Brooks, a celebrity in her own right who was previouslymarried to an actor from a popular TV series, was dressed in ademure black dress with white collar and cuffs.

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

Lawyer Robert Jay cut straight to the chase as Brooks beganher day-long testimony, pressing her for names of politicianswho had expressed sympathy when she was caught up in the hackingstorm in July 2011. At first Brooks sought to evade thequestion, but eventually said:

"I received some indirect messages from Number 10, Number11, the Home Office, the Foreign Office." Numbers 10 and 11Downing Street are the prime minister's and finance minister'soffices respectively.

The impression that the prime minister and finance ministerGeorge Osborne surrounded themselves with a coterie ofprivileged individuals for cosy dinners and horse riding in theEnglish countryside has been pounced on by critics.

Cameron also sent a message to Brooks via an intermediaryexplaining that he could not remain loyal to her publiclybecause opposition leader Ed Miliband "had him on the run" overhis cosy relationship with top people in the Murdoch empire.

Brooks said Blair, with whom Murdoch had a friendlyrelationship, had also got in touch at that time, but hissuccessor Gordon Brown had not. Brown had once courted Brooksand Murdoch, but had fallen out with them over coverage that heviewed as hostile and intrusive.

"He was probably getting the bunting out," Brooks said witha smile.

The 43-year-old Brooks was for years part of an exclusivecircle of friends that included Cameron, Murdoch's daughterElisabeth and others known as the "Chipping Norton set" fortheir weekend gatherings in the picturesque Oxfordshire town.

Cameron, who has acknowledged politicians' ties with Murdochwere far too cosy, is grappling with a series of disclosuresfrom the Leveson Inquiry that have shown the close social tiesbetween government and Murdoch's most powerful executives.

Cameron reluctantly ordered the Leveson Inquiry underintense pressure from the public and the opposition LabourParty.

The appearance last month of James Murdoch at the inquiryrevealed how a senior ministerial aide had repeatedly andinappropriately sought to help Murdoch's News Corpsecure the $12 billion takeover of pay-TV group BSkyB.

The aide immediately quit but the minister Jeremy Hunt isalso facing calls to stand down. In a written statement toaccompany her appearance, Brooks said she had spoken to Cameronand other government members to express her feelings forcefullyin support of the bid.

Dubbed by some the "fifth daughter" of Rupert Murdoch,Brooks edited the News of the World from 2000 to 2003 and wenton to become the first female editor of the Sun daily tabloid,Britain's most widely read newspaper, for six years.

DRAMATIC FALL

She confirmed her position as one of the most importantexecutives in Murdoch's global empire with promotion to run theBritish newspaper arm, News International, from 2009 to 2011.